Send us a text This week's episode welcomes on Christine Staley, Founder and CEO of Magic City Hoagies. Magic City Hoagies is all about bringing a new and exciting approach to sandwiches. Christine does so effortlessly with her passion for spreading positivity and creative eye. One of her many strengths is her ability to align clients with the most suitable promotion/entrepreneurial campaigns needed to showcase their focused initiatives. With her wealth of content creation experience in home, cu...
Jul 25, 2023•14 min•Ep. 234
Send us a text This weeks episode of Give An Ovation welcomes on our very own Chief Experience Officer (CXO) and Co-Founder, Derek Morgan. Derek's expertise in product engineering and customer success enables him to speak as to why Call-to-Text is the most requested feature addition and how it helps our customers continue to win in the restaurant tech space. On this episode, you'll learn from Derek about: What is Call-to-Text The power of an omnichannel approach Creating consumer connection How ...
Jul 17, 2023•16 min•Ep. 233
Send us a text Ed Baklor is a former Disney/WestJet/JetBlue Executive with a solid business foundation focused on Operational Excellence and Guest Experience. Ed is skilled at curating an excellent guest experience from very little. Learn from his experience as a service expert in taking whatever is given you and crafting an experience that will leave your guests wanting more. On this episode, you'll learn from Ed about: Low cost exceptional guest experience Optimizing margins A culture of carin...
Jul 10, 2023•24 min•Ep. 232
Send us a text Amir Hudda is a technology entrepreneur who has founded and grown four startups in the past 20 years. Amir’s passion has been to create and bring new technologies and products to market, his technology depth and business skills have helped launch innovative solutions that address critical business problems. Currently, Amir is the CEO of Qu (formerly Gusto POS), an enterprise-scale POS company focused on the fast-casual and quick-service restaurant industry. On this episode, you'll...
Jul 03, 2023•27 min•Ep. 231
Send us a text Sterling Douglass is the Co-Founder & CEO of Chowly, a leading restaurant technology company helping restaurants optimize off-premise sales and operations. Sterling began his career in data analytics as an actuary before founding Chowly. His entrepreneurial spirit drove him to make it simpler for small and mid-sized restaurants to leverage best-in-class technologies. Sterling currently serves on the President’s Club of FSTEC, Advisory Council of RTN, Venture Partner at Emergin...
Jun 26, 2023•25 min•Ep. 230
Send us a text On this week's edition of Give An Ovation, Carl Orsbourn and Meredith Sandland join us for another forward thinking and innovative episode. With the publication of their second book in the Delivering The Digital Restaurant series, The Path to Digital Maturity, Carl and Meredith impress the importance of taking your tech seriously. From interface to optimization, their expertise within the digital space is far reaching! On this episode, you'll learn from Carl and Meredith about: Is...
Jun 20, 2023•45 min•Ep. 229
Send us a text Nick Bogacz is the President/Founder of Caliente Pizza and Draft House. With over 20 years experience within the restaurant industry, Nick has held many positions has grown a business from the ground up. If you are an entrepreneur who enjoys the restaurant industry and are looking to build an enterprise, this episode is for you. On this episode, you'll learn from Nick about: Finding space to grow within your industry How to grow and empower your internal team Pre-COVID service Mor...
Jun 12, 2023•24 min•Ep. 228
Send us a text Jeff Fenster is the Founder and CEO of Everbowl, a superfood bowl that encourages consumers to "unevolve™" - to live actively and eat "stuff that's been around forever™". Fenster is serial entrepreneur whose expertise in curating real relationships has driven a strategy for success across his many business ventures/industries. Not afraid to fill the gaps and self assess, Fenster emulates purpose and progress within whichever industry he chooses to tackle. On this episode, you'll l...
Jun 05, 2023•25 min•Ep. 227
Send us a text Mike Bausch is Owner at Andolini's Worldwide Restaurant Group, a Guinness World record holder, and Author of Unsliced. Mike Bausch strives to keep giving back within the restaurant industry and has accomplished just that through his experience as a restauranteur, thought leadership, and more! Tune in to this week's episode to discover how to apply his experience as a restauranteur and eye for growth. On this episode, you'll learn from Mike about: The worst response you may receive...
May 29, 2023•28 min
Send us a text Blaine Hurst, former CEO of Panera Bread, has an extensive 40 year long career working with the likes of Boston Market and Papa John's. Now as an advisor, Blaine believes that a strategic mindset is developed rather than inherent. Blaine helps restaurateurs to develop the ability to see what needs improvement and how to execute such improvement. On this episode, you'll learn from Blaine about: A culture of dissatisfaction Preparing for external factors (recession, pandemic, etc.) ...
May 22, 2023•27 min•Ep. 225
Send us a text Jeremy Julian is the COO of CBS Northstar, an industry leader in hospitality POS technology, helping restaurants maximize efficiency and profitability. With its software, hardware, and portfolio of services, CBS offers thousands of restaurants the peace of mind that comes with a smooth POS experience. Jeremy is in touch with the challenges and issues facing restaurant operators in the area of technology systems all while keeping the human touch at the forefront. On this episode, y...
May 15, 2023•21 min•Ep. 224
Send us a text Ryan Thorman is the Co-Founder and CEO of Bango Bowls, a growing health food and quick services chain. Ryan knows how to develop the fundamentals of your business, bur more importantly, maintaining a "bigger picture" perspective. Ryan's expertise on transitioning from a business to an organization is something you won't want to miss on this week's episode. On this episode, you'll learn from Ryan about: Understanding your business structure Fixing common restaurant missteps The ben...
May 08, 2023•17 min•Ep. 223
Send us a text Carolyn Walker has curated an esteemed and well rounded career having worked for the likes of Fritos Lays and Saatchi & Saatchi advertising. Now at Response Marketing, Carolyn started as a freelance consultant but quickly advanced to her current position as CEO and Managing Partner. Carolyn has an eye for internal and external development and has proven her ability to help small brands punch above their weight. On this episode, you'll learn from Carolyn about: Remembering the ...
May 01, 2023•25 min•Ep. 222
Send us a text Andrew Glantz is the Founder & CEO of GiftAMeal, a local marketing program that helps provide a meal to a family in need each time a guest takes a photo at a partner restaurant. Over 500 restaurants currently participate and over 1,300,000 meals have been given so far! Andrew believes that profit and purpose can be consistent goals hence his expertise in brand alignment. On this episode, you'll learn from Andrew about: Aligning social impact and business values Growing your bu...
Apr 24, 2023•15 min•Ep. 221
Send us a text Audrey Hogan in the COO of TimeForge, a single dashboard service capable of mainstreaming and optimizing HR and Operations. Audrey is a Swiss army knife of talent that can teach you how to optimize labor management and boost your team. With an eye for and education in technical communication, Audrey is an expert on the crossroads of software and insights. On this episode you'll learn from Audrey about: Knowing what tasks to prioritize Turning goals into action The positive shifts ...
Apr 17, 2023•16 min•Ep. 220
Send us a text With over 15+ years experience as a CPA, Anne Gannon is now the Principal and Founder of the Largo Group. The Largo Group provides clients with a clear understanding of the dynamics of their business to achieve lasting growth and success based on an innovative accounting model. Anne strives to look beyond balancing books and deliver actionable insight s to restaurant owners. On this episode you'll learn from Anne about: Owning your numbers The importance of understanding the basic...
Apr 10, 2023•20 min•Ep. 219
Send us a text Yazan El-Shalabi and Yasser Ali are the Founders of Shelby's, home to legendary shawarma, poutines, falafels, and more! Their journey began as two young college students and now they run a multi franchise brand. Tune in to hear Yazan and Yasser's rise to the top and how they've mastered growth pertaining to social media advertising, franchises, and more! On this episode you'll learn from Yazan and Yasser about: Organic advertising Bring customers in via social media Utilizing cust...
Apr 06, 2023•25 min•Ep. 218
Send us a text With over 24 years of experience in the food and beverage industry, Gregg Majewski has developed an expert eye for growth. To highlight his incredible experience within the space, Gregg has invested in restaurants and worked as former CFO, COO, and CEO of Jimmy John's (where he grew stores from 33 to 300). Now, Gregg is the CEO of Mongolian concepts AND Craveworthy Brands. Tune in to hear how Gregg has grown brands internally and externally. On this episode you'll learn from Gregg...
Apr 03, 2023•22 min•Ep. 217
Send us a text Matt Vance is the Co-Founder and CEO of Mobrium, a platform aimed to streamline your employer reputation on sites like Glassdoor, Indeed, Comparably and InHerSight. Furthermore, Matt Vance is the author of The Review Cycle, a book which outlines a disruptive new consumer behavior model. Tune it to hear Matt's expertise on generating and managing more reviews. On this episode, you'll learn from Matt about: Product, price, place, promotion, and post service Psychology of consumer be...
Mar 30, 2023•25 min•Ep. 216
Send us a text On this week's episode of Give An Ovation we are flipping the mic around and welcoming on Ovation's very own, CEO and Founder, Zack Oates. Having started as a soda jerk at Friendly's and then transitioning into tech startups, Zack brings his expertise within the restaurant industry, hospitality, and tech to the table as we flip the script. With over 200+ podcast episodes under his belt, tune in to find out how Zack has uncovered the driving factors of successful restaurants. On th...
Mar 23, 2023•19 min•Ep. 215
Send us a text Flint Finlinson, Co-Founder and CEO of Propaganda Inc., is a brand and marketing expert specializing in strategy development. Propaganda, Inc. is an agency dedicated to "Brand Transformations" and helping to develop your higher brand purpose. Having transitioned from retail to restaurants, Flint understand what it means to position your brand not just to guests, but to humans. On this episode, you'll learn from Flint about: Truth in advertising Transitioning skills across industri...
Mar 20, 2023•22 min•Ep. 214
Send us a text Euripides Pelekanos is the CEO of Bareburger, a kitchen and bar that offers big flavor in a big bun. With over 13 years experience with Bareburger as the CEO and Co-Founder, Euripides knows what it takes to learn from the past and apply hindsight to the future. As someone who has grown his brand into an international business, you're going to want to tune in to his advice. On this episode, you'll learn from Euripides about: Value in tiny details Growing your brand to 10+ locations...
Mar 16, 2023•26 min•Ep. 213
Send us a text Jensen Cummings, a legacy figure within the restaurant industry, is uncovering and remedying fallacies within the industry. Having transitioned from a top chef to behind the scenes managerial operations, Jensen has an all encompassing understanding of restaurant industry operations. On this episode, you'll learn from Jensen about: Restructuring the P&L statement Saving hospitality for your brand Identifying top revenue drivers More! Thanks, Jensen!...
Mar 13, 2023•27 min•Ep. 212
Send us a text Justin Egan is the VP of marketing, franchise development, and digital strategy at Craveworthy Brands. His expertise includes consumer-focused branding, building digital guest experiences, franchise development and restaurant/marketing tech. On this episode you'll learn from Justin about: Delivering cravable foods and experiences End-to-end marketing strategy Growing your brand through innovation More! Thanks, Justin!...
Mar 09, 2023•18 min•Ep. 211
Send us a text Bob Andersen has spent over 20 years in the restaurant industry, with experience as a Managing Director at Boston Pizza, the President of MOOYAH, the Executive Vice President of United Franchise Group, and much more. Bob is currently the President of The Great Greek Grill - a delicious, growing brand with over 40 locations. What you'll learn on this episode: Bob's 3 principles for restaurant success What to look for in a manager How to develop employees How to use feedback solutio...
Mar 06, 2023•26 min•Ep. 210
Send us a text Matthew Marx is an expert in technology leadership and he uses this knowledge to build and operate high growth products and businesses. In the restaurant industry, Matthew applies his expertise on the benefits of tech to improve operations and elevate your brand. On this episode, you'll learn from Matthew about: How to introduce omnichannel operations The benefit of digital marketing Common marketing mistakes restaurants make More! Thanks, Matthew!...
Mar 02, 2023•19 min•Ep. 209
Send us a text Find out how the cooking and prep that goes on back-of-house impacts the guest. Gavin Kaysen, Founder and chef of Soigné Hospitality, knows how the unseen operations play a heavy role in developing creativity, community, and a positive guest experience. Tune in to this weeks episode to learn how the culinary touch can bring people together and strategically grown your business. You'll learn from Gavin about: Funneling creativity into creation Transferring the feeling of restoratio...
Feb 27, 2023•22 min•Ep. 208
Send us a text This weeks episode of Give An Ovation welcomes Fred LeFranc, the CEO of Results Thru Strategy, a consulting company that specializes in restaurant and hospitality brands. With his strategic eye and forward thinking tactics, Fred knows how to leverage your company's strengths and strengthen weaknesses. On this episode, you will learn from Fred about: Evaluating your business model Importance of company culture Uncovering the root of business issues True definition of guest experien...
Feb 23, 2023•21 min•Ep. 207
Send us a text Yigal Adato, Founder of Unlock The Leader, brings his expertise in leadership training and personal development to this weeks episode of Give An Ovation. This is a crucial conversation on how to improve internal operations through individual progression. Tune in to hear Yigal's perspective on how personal growth contributes to the health of your business. On this episode, you'll learn from Yigal about: Gain perspective for areas of growth Goal orientation Impact of positive thinki...
Feb 16, 2023•24 min•Ep. 206
Send us a text Arguably the biggest factor to bring about a positive guest experience is the state of your employees. Bobby Amoah, CEO of River Health ensures a system where you can do just that by providing quality primary care and mental health services for your employees. While taking a step outside of the restaurant industry, this episode has everything to do with the health of your workforce. On this episode, you'll learn from Bobby about: Boosting employee retention Effect on employee ment...
Feb 13, 2023•22 min•Ep. 205
